Narik Uprising
The Narik Uprising was a failed uprising in June 3069 by radical Narikatonite nationalists in western Narikaton. While small at the time, the revolt is now seen by historians as setting off a chain reaction that eventually led to the Narik Wars. The rebellion itself was conducted by the small Narik National Army (NNA), founded by far-right students of Narikaton University. Inspired by romanticised accounts of the Second Darnussian Civil War, they launched a rebellion in western Narikaton against Darnussian rule, and attempted to spark a mass mutiny in the Army in imitation of the war. The uprising however, failed miserably, and the NNA was brutally crushed and its leaders executed. The uprising was the first major fighting in Darnussia since 2819, over 250 years ago, and as a result, the influence of the rebellion was huge. Narikatonite nationalism immediately began to grow and expand, and the far-right began to increase its power. As a result of this, the far-left grew in response, slowly driving the Second Darnussian Democratic Republic to an end. When fighting again broke out in the now highly unstable Darnussia, it began the ongoing Narik Wars, that led to well over 100 years of bitter fighting. The uprising today is highly romanticised and it played a major role in the society of the Narikatonite Empire of 3125 - 3239. Annual commemorations were held, and the rebellion leader Cecil van Raux was held with high regard. Background Foundation of the NNA The Narik National Army was founded in March 3067 by a group of radical far-right Narikatonite imperialists. They were led by Cecil van Raux, the self-proclaimed heir to the Darnussian monarchy, and a student of Narikaton University. They were highly inspired by the writings of Daniel W. Alois and Wilhelm Crule, and strongly believed in a powerful, racially-pure imperial Narikaton. They had a five-point plan that was published and distributed far and wide throughout the uprising: *Narikaton must rightfully be independent of Darnussia. *Narikaton must be a powerful, imperial, and nationalist empire. *Van Raux is the true heir to the Darnussian and Narikatonite monarchies, and he must be placed on both thrones. *The Narikatonite people are the master race, while the Kozari people are sub-human. *The Lutheran protestant religion is the one true religion. Catholicism is the work of the anti-Christ. Under the 2820 Nationalism Act, the 3039 Race Hate Act and the 3033 Republic Act, the NNA was immediately illegalised. In May 3067, its headquarters were raided by the Police, and van Raux was arrested. He plead not guilty to charges of race hate, and militant Narikatonite nationalism, but sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. Released in August 3068, he immediately rebuilt his organisation, and began a process of armament and recruitment. He gained weaponry from far-right paramilitary organisations, as well as buying them on the international black market. His biggest target for recruitment were university students and impoverished army veterans. By June 3069, the NNA had an estimated 1,250 members. The uprising The Uprising began on the morning of 1 June 3039, when the NNA attempted to spark race rioting between ethnic Kozaris and Narikatonites in the town of Narik in western Narikaton. The NNA attacked Kozari areas, and waited for a response, but not much seemed to happen. As a result, at noon, an enraged van Raux marched into Narik town square with about 50 armed men, and declared the proclamation of the Narikatonite Empire. In other parts of Narik and in Merenbürg, fighting broke out when NNA men attacked police stations and an army barracks. At first, there was confusion, as nobody really knew quite what was going on. The police chief simply ordered the armed police to 'sort the bastards out, and have it over with by dinner-time'. When they arrived in Narik town square, they came under heavy fire, and were forced to retreat. Narik Central Police Station was captured by the NNA, and then Narik Barracks came under attack, followed by the post office and the power station. It wasn't until 7:00pm that President Frank was informed. He ordered the army to go in immediately, and soon the NNA was engaged in full-scale fighting with the army in Narik and Merenbürg. News reports conflicted, saying either that there was some low-level gunfights going on in Narik, to a full-scale rising throughout the islands. Panic ensued, and there was news that army recruiting offices were swamped with volunteers. Meanwhile, the army was making short work of the rebels in Narik. By the next morning, the power station had been re-captured, and most of the NNA in Narik had been destroyed. It was at this point, armed Narikatonite unionists began turning up, offering help. In Merenbürg, the fighting had spread throughout the east of the city, but was under control. By the next morning, the fighting in Merenbürg had stopped, and it was just in Narik that the rebellion remained. The NNA had been pushed back, and already around 500 of them lay dead. Soon, all that remained was a force of about 200 NNA holding out in the Central Police Station, including van Raux. They held out intil the morning of 4 June, at which point the army stormed the police station, firing at will. As a result, very few prisoners were taken, but van Raux was captured. Many NNA men who tried to surrender were simply killed by the army. Unarmed NNA volunteers were alleged to have been gunned down while surrendering. Results and legacy Van Raux was put on trial and sentenced to death. He was executed two days later by hanging. The treatment of the rebels caused an outcry throughout Narikaton, and led to resentment by more right-wing Narikatonite towards the Darnussian government. More influential however, was the re-kindlement of Narikatonite pride and nationalism. Soon, works by Alois and Crule were the best selling books in Darnussia despite being illegal, as well as van Raux's own work Golden Empire. Very soon, the far-right began to see a major growth from the fallout of the uprising, and some groups decided to begin to exploit the feelings of nationalism, as well as anger at the way the rebels had been treated. In January 3070, the Darnussian Liberation Army one the national elections, and by May had introduced a bill to re-legalise 'moderate Narikatonite nationalism'. Immense public pressure resulted in the bills passing, and in September 3070, the DLA reformed as the Narikatonite Royalist Army. In 3074, the more radical Imperial Narikaton Movement was founded, and immediately began to win seats in the Darnussian Parliament. Alarmed, the fledging Communist Party began an explicit unionist agenda, and started to attract votes from Darnussians. This began to see the fall of the moderates in Darnussia, as Narikatonite nationalism continued to grow, and the far-left grew in reaction. By 3090, moderate politics had practically disappeared in Darnussia, and liberal parties such as the Reformist Party and the Liberty Party vanished. Paramilitary fighting on the streets became a common sight, and rioting was a weekly occurrence. Eventually, the two sides were so enormous, that civil war was almost inevitable, and it came. The 3125 Darnussian Uprising was the nationalists perfect excuse, and the Narikatonite Empire came into being, with van Raux given almost mythical status. And so began the 130-year-long Narik Wars.